Bloomfield Hills animal lover featured in art magazine

Bloomfield Hills resident and Oakland Press blogger Sharla Ahmed's artwork will be featured in the March issue of the internationally distributed Photoshop Creative magazine.

Over the course of two years, Ahmed said she has been featured in the magazine 11 times. She uses the image editor software Adobe Photoshop to create artwork from photographs of animals. She prints the photos on canvas and then donates the artwork to local animal shelters' silent auctions.

"When I donate to a rescue foundation, I will sometimes do artwork that matches the rescue. If it's a pit bull rescue, I do a pit bull. A zoo, I do a wild animal. The piece is printed on a big canvas usually 24 inches by 32 inches and is sold in the silent auctions for hundreds of dollars," she said. "Animal rescues are so important to me because they save (animals) from a bad life or sometimes even death. I do what I can to help them raise money."

With Photoshop, Ahmed makes the pictures look "magical" -- such as a kitten with fairy wings or a pit bull wearing a Mardi Gras mask.

"I alter (the photograph) such as making the fur look rich, the eyes look shiny, fix a faded nose and make their pet look its best while being in a fun, uplifting, colorful setting," Ahmed said.

Ahmed has held a soft spot in her heart for neglected animals since she was 7 years old, when she saw a neighborhood black Labrador that was always tied to a tree and treated badly. While out riding her bicycle, she approached the dog and was attacked.

"That very day, I was taken away by ambulance and had major reconstruction surgery to my face and mouth. When I asked what happen to the dog, they told me they had to put him to sleep. I was devastated for years that it was because of me getting mauled that the dog died," she said. "I am trying to prevent any more dogs from living this life and turning to violence because of it."

Ahmed said several of the portraits feature pit bulls because she feels they're a "misunderstood" dog breed.

"I feel all dogs are a mirror image of how they are raised," she said.

She is a "mother" of two dogs -- a spaniel mix named Precious and a Dudley Lab named Tequilla. Ahmed's stepmother, Linda, found Precious living on the street in 2005 at about 10 years old, and Tequilla was adopted at 5 weeks old. Ahmed said Precious treated the puppy as if it were her own.

"My goal is to spread my story to people who rescue dogs so they know that old dogs can be around a long time if they have the right care and love," said Ahmed. "This dog has changed my life."